Pruning large mature trees is time consuming and difficult. McFarland Arborists have the combination of knowledge, experience and skill required to accurately assess the needs of such trees. Considering the consequences of bad pruning and wrong diagnosis, we do not hesitate when it comes to recommending the correct treatment, even when we know that we are often telling our clients what they don’t want to hear.
The photographs in this post are of an incredible Elm tree that we have been maintaining for more than twenty years. Our crew spent two days in this tree checking its lightning protection system, adjusting cables, and pruning. It takes time and hard work to keep old trees healthy and safe.
Large, old trees often fail. When growing in landscape settings without competition, they grow horizontally as much as they do vertically. The best way to reduce the risk of failure in such trees is to climb out on the ends and prune them back to healthy lateral branches. This is called crown reduction and it is an essential step in mature tree maintenance.
There are no shortcuts for this work. Deadwooding and thinning the crown, while important parts of proper pruning, are often not enough when considering the long-term health of a tree. If a tree person promises to get more trees done in the same amount of time, or the same tree in half the time, it is because they are taking short cuts and not doing a thorough job.
At McFarland’s, we take pride in the fact that we will always recommend what is best for the trees and safest for the client and their family first. Because of our knowledge, experience and skills, our clients can always be confident that their trees are getting the best care possible.
